Electrochemical processing procedures are extensively used in modern technology particularly in circuit fabrication and manufacture of electrical devices such as connectors, relay contacts, switch contacts, etc. Bulk processing procedures are often used and usually yield perfectly good results. It is desirable to improve these procedures in various ways. More rapid processing is highly desirable economically, particularly for high volume items such as connector contacts, relay contacts, circuit boards, etc. More exact control of the electrochemical process is advantageous so as to reduce the number of rejected components, improve plating quality and to insure high reliability and long life. It is also advantageous economically to reduce the volume of plating solution required, to reduce the volume of rinse water needed in the plating process, and to reduce the volume of air that must be vented for environmental purposes.
These considerations are especially true for gold electroplating procedures and apparatus used to make high-volume items like pins for electrical connectors. Also, high reliability is important and reduced usage of gold can lead to large economic savings. Other similar cells and processes have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,523.